


Hand prints

by Reposhillo



Category: Assassin's Creed - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Come sail on this crack ship with me, M/M, Morning After
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-20
Updated: 2020-03-20
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:46:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,792
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23031925
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Reposhillo/pseuds/Reposhillo
Summary: Jacob wakes to find himself in a hotel bed, with a man whose name he can't remember after the two had nearly bludgeoned each other to hell and back. Oh well, it could always be worse.
Relationships: Alexios/Jacob Frye
Comments: 4
Kudos: 32





	Hand prints

It is not a warm gentle glow of sunlight pouring through the curtains as most morning after tales go that stirs Jacob from his slumber, but rather the fact that there is a rather insistent pressure against his back. Soon, it's the pain that seems to radiate in different areas of his body that truly drags him from the depths of blessed unconsciousness. He's no stranger to these kinds of pains. He knows his lip was busted and probably scabbed over by now, and different parts of his body are no doubt covered by a patchwork of discolored bruises and scrapes. His hips in particular feel especially tender, and the dull throb in his backside is all too obvious a sign of what had followed after the fighting ring he had gone to last night.

However, what soon grabs Jacob's full attention is the fact that the pressure against his back is also quite warm. Bits and pieces of last night come forth to his mind, remembering drinks with his street gang, The Rooks, they called themselves now under his leadership to keep London safe from other gangs. He recalls him and a few of his Rooks decided to pay one of his associates underground fighting rings a visit, with Jacob as a well known participator and champion of sorts. More and more is recollected, such as Robert warning him of a foreigner that had taken to the ring after Jacob's absence for a week, and was certainly making a name for himself. He knows himself well enough to know that last night he wasn't bothered, had completely brushed off the warning. Perhaps that was a mistake, or maybe not. Especially when he can remember hopping over the fence into the ring, and taking out a few men before he finally met this foreigner face to face.

_Ruggedly handsome, is how Jacob would first describe the man that had been before him. He was certainly a sight to see among the crumpled bodies groaning in pain below the two of them. Tanned skin, almost bronze in color, had Jacob guessing he was from somewhere the sun often shone upon. His hair was a bit longer than he was generally used to seeing in men, although it was pulled back in some kind of ponytail. He was broad, and rather tall, with a wide chest that was sprinkled with fine thin hair, not nearly as hairy as Jacob's own, although he certainly has a much fuller beard. Jacob had taken a small interest in the scars that littered one of the man's arms, wondering how he acquired them. However, their meeting consisted of them facing off in a confrontation that demanded a winner, and Jacob had no time for a chat. Perhaps afterwards, is what he had thought as he decided to take the first swing._

__

_A move that proved to be one of his first big misteps, as the man had easily twisted out of the way and brought his knee into Jacob's stomach, knocking the breath out of him before the back of his neck was seized in an iron clawed grip. He remembers sneering as he brought one hand to clasp around the man's wrist, trying to keep him in one place as he brought one of his own legs up to deliver a swift kick to the man's knee. It didn't seem to pain the man so much as make him lose his balance, and once the grip on his neck loosened ever so slightly Jacob twisted out of his hold and brought his hands up to his chest, clasping them into fists as he realized he needed to be a bit more careful with this one._

_The foreigner seemed rather amused, eyes wrinkling with fondness as he leans his upper body forward ever so slightly, one hand closing into a fist while he used his other to beckon Jacob forward. Jacob pretended to take the bait this time, charging forward and throwing his left arm back as if he was rearing back to strike him. He smirked as the man reacted exactly how he figured, throwing a hand up close to his face to block, which allowed Jacob to instead switch his tactics and instead brought a swift uppercut with his right fist. He could almost hear the man's teeth collide as his head was snapped upwards, his lower jaw clinking against his upper. The man let out what Jacob could only assume was some sort of curse as he tried to stumble back, but from here Jacob was unrelenting. He snatched one of the man's wrists and tugged as hard as he could considering how tall the man was. Thankfully his cheap shot had his opponent off kilter, and he was able to bring the man close, rearing his head back and smashing his forehead against the bridge of the foreigner's nose._

__

_He earns a shout of pain for his efforts, the man doubling back as Jacob finally releases him. He finds himself impressed that the man remains standing after regaining his balance, a hand clutching at his face. Jacob smiles something wicked as he sees red beginning to pool from the crevices of the man's fingers, and he shudders as the man's eyes seem to glow as they narrow at him, no doubt finding rage quelling up at Jacob having drawn first blood. Jacob attempts to prepare himself as the man seems to throw all caution to the wind, charging right at him. Jacob attempts to side step, only for the man to follow right after him, throwing a right hook. He dodges it, only to have his cheek grazed by a left quickly following after. It's barely a scrape, and Jacob is beginning to wonder if the man is just punching blindly, hoping to catch Jacob by surprise. Another dodge, and he steps back, only to find himself pressing back against one of the fence posts. A hitch in breath, and one look at the foreigner tells him that this was his goal the whole time._

_Jacob tries to strafe away before he's caged in, but it's far too late as the other man closes in on him. Jacob likes to think he took the first blow to his face like a champ, even though his teeth clearly cut into his lip and leave it bleeding. It's the barrage of blows that come after that really break the gang leader down, the foreigner landing a jab to his ribs, before decking Jacob across the face once again and making the post behind him dig further into his spine. He manages to get in a cuff across the man's temples, and a punch to his stomach, but nothing seems to deter the man._

_Eventually Jacob finds an opening, and waits for the man to take another swing before he ducks under the man's arm and away from the fencing. His body is starting to ache something fierce, but Jacob will not go down quietly. He takes the opportunity to rush at the foreigner himself as he tries to turn and face Jacob, grabbing the back of the man's head before he can and shoving it down to meet the top of the fence post. A sound that can only be described as an animalistic growl escapes the foreigner as his head bounces from the impact, a minuscule shower of blood spitting from his mouth. Jacob tries to keep the man pinned, but his larger size aids him in forcing Jacob off of his back, and he brings a sharp elbow into Jacob's gut. Once again the gang leader finds his breath leaving him as he wheezes, allowing the foreigner the chance to flip around and finds himself locked in a grapple as his forearms were seized harshly. Jacob finds himself being pulled in close, only for the man to lift the entirety of Jacob's body up off the ground. His eyes widen, and he has no time to react as he's slammed down, his back colliding against the dirt floor of the ring. He's left dazed, the sound of shouts and cheers all phasing into one monotonous noise. He almost doesn't notice when the foreigner straddles him, a hand jutting to his throat and pressing down, air suddenly becoming not as accessible as a barrage of fists come barreling at his face. One, two, three...the last one would surely leave a black eye._

__

_Distantly, he summons the thought that a move like this should technically not be allowed, but it's being drowned out by the burning pain assaulting his face, bruises no doubt blossoming across his skin. Black swims across his vision for a moment, and suddenly the hits stop. In fact, pressure and warmth of the man's body disappears entirely as a few figures come into view. He make out some of the words shared between blurs of green and a single blue. Something like 'illegal', 'no pins', and 'Are you alright?'. It all goes completely over his head as Jacob finds himself hauled up and being dragged away from the ring._

_It takes him a lot longer than he would like to admit to recover, having come to sat upright near the bar. Concern paints his rooks faces as his vision clears, and all he can do is offer them a bloody smile. "One hell of a fight eh boys?" He laughs, and some of the unease on their faces lessen._

_"Haven't gotten my arse beat like that in a while....Could surely do with some medicine here." He hints, and soon a cup of rum is pressed into his palm._

_"Don't take it too hard boss. That bastard cheated, he did." One rook chimes in._

_"Yeah, pin downs like that aren't allowed. He even choked ya'." Another adds, pointing to Jacob's neck._

__

_"It's fine lads, really." He assures them, giving a grin that is bloody and cocksure, even as he massages his throat, wondering if his opponent really had left marks on him._

_His rooks still grumble and grouse about the match, almost as if they had lost it themselves. No doubt they had spared a coin or two betting with Topping on Jacob's win, but the way the gang leader saw it, he finally found an opponent worthwhile. Perhaps he'd get a chance to fight the bruiser again, maybe in a street fight where there were little rules. He is confident that if he hadn't been so keen to play by the fighting ring's rules, he would have lasted much longer, maybe even have gotten the best of the foreigner._

_No matter, what matters most is that he is in a place where he thrives, where he is not looked upon with disappointment, even if he is not a clear victor. Here he can drink and laugh, brawl and flirt to his hearts content. It's these kinds of thoughts that keep him from being bitter about losing, as well as the rum he quickly finishes off. He spares some conversation with the few rooks still lingering about, until eventually they clear out and give him some space to drink in peace, more than likely going to place their bets on the next round of fighters. It leaves him with his thoughts, thankfully dulled by the alcohol so that they do not delve deeper, make him lament on how this place feels like home more than his actual home ever did._

_Somehow, sitting mostly alone at the bar as he is, Jacob finds himself surprised yet not really as a stool is dragged out beside him, a familiar bulky body soon occupying it as the newcomer calls for a drink in that strangely accented voice of his that no doubt marks him as a foreigner._

_Jacob wastes no time shifting his body around so that his knees almost press against his previous opponents, body turned towards him as he gets a clear view of the man now that he suspects he is not in any danger of a fist to the face. His forearms are pressed over the counter, his head turned to face one another as they both take one another in. There's still some dried blood that's crusted right underneath the stranger's nose, and a dash of blood that's congealed in the corner of his lips. The gang leader briefly wonders what he looks like in this stranger's eyes, although in the dim light here he can't make out what color they are._

_Finally, the man speaks, although the words that fall from his lips are completely foreign to Jacob as he cocks an eyebrow. "Sorry lad, I didn't quite catch that. Mind repeating, maybe in English?" He comments, offering a toothy grin._

_Brief annoyance flickers over the man's face, before he rolls his eyes and repeats himself. "I asked what your name was."_

_"Oh? Well, maybe you should introduce yourself first. Isn't the the proper thing to do?" He goads, tinkering with his now empty cup._

_Again, the foreigner has a moment where irritation clearly shows on his features, before he shrugs to himself and gestures for the bar tender to give him a drink. Said bartender, obliges the request and fills the cup of with something Jacob rarely orders, and it becomes clear that this stranger has been frequenting here during Jacob's absence._

_"Alexios."_

_"Pardon?"_

_"Alexios. My name." He repeats, and Jacob mulls over it._

_"Alexios, Alexios. Alex? No I already know an Aleck. Lex? Lexi, there. Nice to meet you Lexi. I'm Jacob." He finally offers his name after taking apart the stranger's name and substituting a nickname to his own amusement._

_Alexios, for his part, narrows his eyes at Jacob for a moment. Whether he appreciates the nickname or not isn't made especially clear as he instead takes a swig of the drink he ordered._

_"Jacob. Suits you, I suppose."_

_"I'd like to think so. Now are we going to keep dancing around each other or are you going to make your point?"_

_"My point?"_

_"Oh, come off it. Most people don't just take a seat next to a guy who nearly broke their nose and almost made them swallow their teeth."_

_"I'm not like most people."_

_"Oh, are you now?"_

_"No, I'd like to think not. And I don't see the harm in making conversation with an abled fighter. You actually posed some challenge to me."_

_"Some challenge? Oh those are fighting words lad."_

_"It's the truth. A week has passed, and you are the only man who lasted more than a few punches with me. I can respect those with skill." Alexios then brushes a hand over his nose. "And I suppose you do have some remarkable moves, if a bit reckless."_

_Jacob can't help but scoff at being called reckless, considering this guy's approach in the ring. "Pot calling the kettle black there, Lexi."_

Whatever retort Alexios had to that had last night faded as Jacob found his recollection of said events interrupted by a very purposeful arm coming to loop over his waist, followed by a large and incredibly warmth palm settling on the soft expanse of his stomach. Finger pads press into the soft flesh, gently kneading, alerting Jacob that his bed partner was clearly awake. At this point, he had a pretty clear idea of who he had fallen into bed with as the gang leader finally twisted his head to look over his shoulder. 

Seeing Alexios in the morning light was a hell of a difference than seeing him cloaked in the shadows of the dimly lit bar of last night. His tan almost seemed to glow with the sun, and his face appeared much softer. Or perhaps that was because he was smiling at Jacob, the kind of dopey smile one has after just waking up and seeing something rather pleasant. In this instance, he supposes he's the pleasant surprise. 

Perhaps he thought Jacob was the type to dash after his one night stands, which wouldn't be completely untrue in some cases.

His assumption is proven correct when the foreigner speaks, his voice grizzled and rough from just waking. "You're still here I see..."

"I don't dine and dash." Is the only witty reply Jacob's brain can come up with at the moment, still not completely sure what had transpired between the two of them for them to end up in a scene like this. Jacob finds himself shifting, Alexios' hand moving along with him as he rolls over onto his back, the angle certainly helping his neck as he can see his partner much easier.

Here in the daylight hours, Jacob can see now that Alexios' eyes are a warm amber brown.

He finds them rather lovely.

**Author's Note:**

> This is actually a little precursor two shot to an actual ongoing multi-chapter fic I have planned for these two but I needed to write this out of my system. I live for rare pairs and these two are no exceptions. The events and pace of this may seem out of place but that is because both chapters will be flipping back and forth between the previous night and the current morning.


End file.
